If you use makeup, hair dye, antibacterial soap, have a perm ... or know someone who does, you should read this article from Philadelphia's Post Gazette. Here's a snippet:

"The European Union has banned more than 1,000 ingredients from cosmetics, while the United States has banned only 10."

The Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1936 has only two pages that relate to cosmetics, and it has not been updated despite a sea change in the industry. The fact is, the Food and Drug Administration has no authority to make cosmetics companies test products for safety or recall products that are found to be harmful.

Although the average woman uses a dozen personal care products each day that contain a total of 168 chemicals and the average man uses six products containing 85 chemicals, there is no federal regulation of these ingredients.

Many are known carcinogens responsible for childhood and hormone-related cancers, while others have been linked to asthma, birth defects, early puberty, learning disabilities, nervous system disorders and infertility.

Read the entire article, by Marylynn Uricchio, here. The article includes a list of cosmetics and ingredients to avoid.

Something else to think about: Not only can the ingredients in one product be a toxic soup, you have to wonder how they interact with the other products they come in contact with.

From SafeCosmetics.org and the producers of "The story of stuff," I present, "The story of cosmetics." It includes information on how to find non-toxic cosmetics and does a great job explaining how today's cosmetics industry operates:

Are you hair products more like scare products? (And, learn how to make your own!)

One of my favorite cosmetics and personal care companies is The Body Shop. They've insisted on natural ingredients, environmentally friendly and fair-trade practices since before it was cool. And, no, they're not paying me to say that. I'm a long-time customer and fan. Learn more about The Body Shop here: